HomeMy WebLinkAboutSOG 303.05 NEW 10-2013_Incident Safety OfficersEffective. 10/5/2013
Revised:
Replaces:
303.05- Incident Safety Officers
I. Guiding PhilosophX
Maintaining a safe operating environment during emergency responses is grounded in
effective risk management. Since we hold the safety of our members as our highest priority, we
are committed to insuring that individual and scene safety measures are implemented at all
incidents.
II. Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to define the roles and responsibilities of Incident Safety
Officers.
III. Goals
The goals of this policy are to:
A. Outline the qualifications needed to serve as an Incident Safety Officer.
B. Communicate the authority of Incident Safety Officers.
C. Detail the responsibilities of Incident Safety Officers.
D. Discuss the implementation of Incident Safety Officer's positions.
E. Discuss the role of Incident Safety Officers at hazardous materials incidents.
IV. Definitions
A. Assistant Incident Safety Officer — Individual(s) who are assigned by the
Incident Commander to assist the Incident Safety Officer in the performance of
his/her responsibilities.
B. Collapse Zone —Area around a structure that would contain debris if the
building were to collapse. This is generally 1.5x the height of the structure.
C. HMRT Safety Officer — Assistant Safety Officer assigned to monitor Hazardous
Materials Response Team (HMRT) operations at working hazmat incidents.
HMRT Safety Officers will be assigned from the pool of on -scene members of
the HMRT.
D. Hot Zone — Area designated by Command, which surrounds the emergency for a
distance in which personnel are in immediate danger.
SOG 303.05 — Incident Safety Officers Page 1 of 6
E. Incident Safety Checklist — Form utilized to assist the ISO in the identification
of incident hazards, strategy and tactics, incident assessment and implementation
of ISO responsibilities.
F. Incident Safety Officer (ISO) — A member of the Command Staff responsible
for monitoring and assessing hazards or unsafe conditions and for developing or
insuring compliance with measures to minimize risk and support safe operations.
G. Mitigate — The act of eliminating a hazard or making a hazard less severe or less
likely to cause harm.
H. Rapid Intervention Group (RIG) — Crews designated to standby in a state of
readiness to perform a rescue effort for hazard zone workers.
I. Risk Management Plan — The established plan for determining the appropriate
level of emergency intervention to be taken on scene (See SOG 200.01 -Risk
Management Plan & Tactical Priorities).
V. Qualifications of the Incident Safety Officer
A. The Incident Safety Officer must have the knowledge, skill, and abilities to
manage incident scene safety by accomplishing and maintaining knowledge of:
1. Emergency operations
2. Building construction
3. Fire behavior and science relative to predicting hostile fire events
4. Personnel Accountability System
5. Incident scene rehabilitation strategies
B. Incident Safety Officers utilized at all one alarm or greater incidents shall be the
rank of Captain or higher.
C. Assistant Incident Safety Officers at all one alarm or greater incidents shall be the
rank of Driver/Operator or higher.
VI. Authority of the Incident Safety Officer
A. The Incident Safety Officer has the authority to stop, alter, or suspend activities that
he/she deems as posing an imminent threat/unreasonable risks to firefighter safety.
B. The Incident Safety Officer shall immediately inform the Incident Commander of
any actions taken to correct imminent threats/unreasonable risks at the emergency
scene.
C. Where an Incident Safety Officer identifies unsafe conditions, operations, or
hazards that do not present an imminent threat to fire fighters, the Incident Safety
Officer shall take appropriate action through the Incident Commander to mitigate
or eliminate the unsafe condition, operation, or hazard.
D. Assistant Incident Safety Officer(s) shall be granted the same authority as the
Incident Safety Officer.
SOG 303.05 — Incident Safety Officers Page 2 of 6
VII. Implementation of the Incident Safety Officer Positions
A. On single unit responses, the ranking Officer (i.e. Company Officer) serves as
both Incident Commander and Incident Safety Officer.
B. On all one alarm responses, the second arriving Chief s Car will assume the role
of Incident Safety Officer.
C. The Incident Safety Officer will announce the location and initiation of the
Incident Safety Officers position.
Example:
"Car SI on scene Car SI to Command, I'm assuming College Street
Safety. "
D. As additional Officers arrive on scene, Command may assign Assistant Safety
Officers within the established divisions/groups.
E. As the incident scene grows in size and complexity, the Command may establish
the Safety Group. The Safety Group may be established for.
1. Large structures with significant fire involvement
2. High-rise buildings
3. Fires in buildings with unusual or unique hazards
4. Anytime the ISO is requested to go into an IDLH environment
5. Fires that are active for over four hours
6. Any incident that impacts a wide geographic area or that poses significant
ri sk.
E. If the Safety Group is implemented, the Incident Safety Officer will report to the
Command Post and may request a separate tactical radio channel for Safety Group
operations.
VIII. Responsibilities of the Incident Safety Officer
A. Upon arrival or when assigned, Incident Safety Officer will obtain a face-to-face
status report from the Incident Commander that includes:
1. Current incident action plan
2. Status of situation of resources
3. Designated tactical radio channels for the Safety Group (if implemented)
B. The ISO shall don all personal protection equipment (PPE) including ANSI -
approved safety officers vest, which will make the Incident Safety Officer readily
identifiable.
C. At all events, the Incident Safety Officer duties should begin with:
1. Immediately perform a 3600 (or as close as is practical) walk around of
incident scene to become familiarized with the surrounding area and
hazards. Provide feedback from assessment to IC as needed.
2. Assess current activities of members operating in the hot zones.
3. Immediately stop or address unsafe activities as needed and inform the
Incident Commander of any actions taken to correct imminent threats.
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D. During the assigned operational period the Incident Safety Officer will continue
to monitor and maintain an awareness of the following:
1. Monitor the incident action plan, conditions, activities, and operations to
determine whether they fall within the criteria defined in the department's
risk management plan. Notify IC immediately if Action Plan is not right
for scene conditions or worker safety.
2. Monitor the accessibility of entry and egress of structures and its effect on
the safety of members conducting interior operations.
3. Verify that the department's personnel accountability system is being
utilized and monitor for freelancing. Notify IC if accountability is not yet
properly assigned.
4. Verify that the Rapid Intervention Group is implemented and ready for
deployment. Notify IC if RIG is not yet properly assigned.
5. Verify that appropriate rehab treatment is being maintained. Notify IC if
any inadequacies are noted in the rehab process.
6. Where possible, monitor that all personnel wear appropriate personal
protective equipment (PPE) in accordance with their tactical assignment.
Spot check that all workers appear to be properly protected for their
respective work areas.
7. Ensure established safety zones (collapse zones, hot zones, and other
designated hazard areas) are communicated to all personnel present on
the scene.
8. Monitor visible smoke and fire conditions and advise the Incident
Commander and Division/Group Supervisors of conditions that could pose
a threat to operating crews or necessitate a change in the operating
Strategy.
9. Work as a team with IC to give timely information from all your
observations so that the IC can make better informed decisions. Offer
advice as needed or requested to assist with updating the Incident Action
Plan and current Strategy.
10. Monitor radio transmissions and stay alert to transmissions barriers that
could result in missed, unclear, or incomplete communications. Relay any
vital transmissions such as Mayday calls or Emergency traffic to the IC if
it appears that the transmission is not properly acknowledged.
11. Monitor salvage and overhaul operations to ensure safety practices are
followed. Inform Command when an acceptable level of carbon monoxide
has been achieved (below 35 ppm).
IX. Implementation of the Incident Safety Officer Positions
A. On single unit responses, the ranking Officer (i.e. Company Officer) serves as
both Incident Commander and Incident Safety Officer.
B. On all one alarm responses, the second arriving Chief s Car will assume the role
of Incident Safety Officer.
C. The Incident Safety Officer will announce the location and initiation of the
Incident Safety Officers position.
SOG 303.05 — Incident Safety Officers Page 4 of 6
Example:
"Car 51 on scene Car 51 to Command, I'm assuming College Street
Safety. "
D. As additional Officers arrive on scene, Command may assign Assistant Safety
Officers within established divisions/groups.
E. As the incident scene grows in size and complexity, the Command may establish
the Safety Group. The Safety Group may be established for.
1. Large structures with significant fire involvement
2. High-rise buildings
3. Fires in buildings with unusual or unique hazards
4. Anytime the ISO is requested to go into an IDLH environment
5. Fires that are active for over four hours
6. Any incident that impacts a wide geographic area or that poses significant
ri sk.
F. If the Safety Group is implemented, the Incident Safety Officer will report to the
Command Post and may request a separate tactical radio channel for Safety Group
operations.
X. Hazardous Materials Operations
A. An Incident Safety Officer and a HMRT Safety Officer will be assigned at all
hazardous materials incidents requiring the deployment of the HMRT.
B. The HMRT Safety Officer will be assigned from the pool of on -scene HMRT
members by the Hazmat Group Supervisor, Hazmat Branch Director, or
Operations Section Chief, depending on the size and scale of the incident.
C. The HMRT Safety Officer will communicate and coordinate with the Incident
Safety Officer on the establishment of zones and safety issues.
D. The HMRT Safety Officer shall
1. Meet the requirements of NFPA 472 -Standard for Professional
Competence o Responders to Hazardous Materials Incidents.
2. Insure designation of personnel to utilize air -monitoring devices to
determine the perimeters of zones based on the level of contaminants and
their hazard.
3. Once determined, insure all personnel are advised of perimeter boundaries
through the use of the appropriate barricade tape or other visible markers.
4. Insure personnel are designated to constantly monitor the atmosphere
throughout the duration of the emergency. (These personnel will
immediately advise the HMRT Safety Officer and Operations of any
change which might present an accelerated hazard potential to site
personnel).
5. Inform Operations, the Incident Safety Officer and Command of the need
to alter, suspend or upgrade the required protective equipment.
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6. Ensure the Decontamination Group has been established and the
decontamination corridor has been set up before the entry team proceeds
into hot zone.
7. Ensure, prior to entry, that the entry team leader has reviewed emergency
procedures with all entry team members, (hand signals, SCBA
malfunction, PPE failure) as well as operations to be performed (leak
control, valve shut -down, patching, plugging and decontamination
procedures).
8. Ensure that all support personnel in the warm zone are wearing the correct
level of PPE.
9. After the emergency has been mitigated, the atmosphere is monitored until
an acceptable air quality has been achieved.
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